Bishops Reformed as Dr. Gordon of Galloway and Adam Bishop of Orkney he bringeth no proof for the former but for the latter he was Excommunicated for Marrying the Queen to the Earl of Bothwel which had been Incongruous if he had not been of the Protestant Communion Answ 1. That two who had been Bishops joyned in the Reformation is but a small evidence that the Reformation was not managed by Presbyters but by Bishops 2. That the one of these complyed with the Reformation he barely asserteth and his proof for the other is insufficient Such things have been done Protestants have Excommunicated Papists as Papists daily Excommunicate Protestants How congruous this is I need not now debate 3. If these Bishops had any hand in the Reformation it is nothing to his purpose unless he can prove that they exercised Episcopal Jurisdiction in the Protestant Church which no History can Countenance if they Acted as Church-men at all they Acted as Presbyters for it is certain that in the beginning of our Reformation none exercised any Jurisdiction among the Reformed above that of Presbyter He saith That where there had been Popish Bishops there Protestant â—ishops were appointed in their places under the Name of Superintendents Here is a double mistake One that the Super intendent were Bishops Another that they were put into the Places and Revenues of the Popish Bishops The falshood of both which I have shewed in my Former Vindication upon Query 1. page 10. That the Revenues of the Popish Bishops were setled on the Superintendents is an Assertion that proveth either that this Author is a Stranger to our History or that he regardeth not the truth or falshood of what he affirmeth What followeth page 29. Of the late bringing in of Presbytery into the Reformed Church of Scotland I have fully disproved in the place last cited page 3. After the most spiteful Venom spued out that could lodge in a humane Breast against the Presbyteriaâ—… which it is fit to despise rather than Answer he concludeth his Letter with an Assertion no less false than the rest of his Allegations are viz. That his party suffer neither for Breach of Divine nor Humane Laws but only for Episcopacy If any honesty remain with him it would oblige him to give some instance or proof that the Presbyterian Church of Scotland for he ascribeth their sufferings to their opposition to the Fanaticks of the Kirk did ever trouble any of them either for their Opinion about Church Government or meerly for their compliance with Episcopacy when it had the Law on its side on the contrary we can shew to the conviction of all unbyassed Men that such as have suffered by the State did suffer for their Breach of the Law of the Nation in not owning the King and Queen as the Law required And that such as were Censured by the Church except two or three whose Sentences were taken off by Superior Judicatories of the Church suffered for the Breach of Divine Laws viz. For gross Immortalities One Instance I shall give Ex re praesenti out of the Presbytery of Stranrawer about which his whole Letter is Conversant Mr. Ramsay late Minister at Stranrawer was by the Synod of Wigtoun put from his place on these Grounds Frequent Drunkenness on the Sabbath day proved by the Oaths of Baily Vause and Andrew Mackennel Beating his Wife on the Sabbath before he went to preach sworn by Andrew Mackennel and Robert Gordon the said Robert Gordon's Wife deponed that she saw at that time Mrs. Ramsay Bleeding Frequent Swearing proved by the Oaths of Provost Row Baily Vause and Robert Gordon I should not thus have exposed Men who once bare the Character of Ministers but the Impudent Accusations of this Scribler and the obligation that lyeth on Persons and Churches to necessary self defence do constrain me ANIMADVERSIONS On a PAMPHLET called A Memorial for His Highness the Prince of Orange in Relation to the Affairs of Scotland HAving proceeded thus far in contributing my poor Mite for Vindicating the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and meeting with this Print of the same strain with these others above-answered that is full of bitter and unreasonable invectives against Presbyterial Government I could not shun making some Observations on it whereby Truth and Innocence may be vindicated against Lies and Railing The design of this Print is manifest to be to dispose His Majesty to preserve Episcopacy in Scotland and to hinder the Setling of Presbytery And it is a real and effectual refutation that our Wise and Gracious King hath not found such weight of reason in it as to be moved by it but hath acted quite contrary to the malicious Insinuations of this Author This Paper is nothing short of the rest for most gross Falsehoods in matters of Fact and most injurious Mis-representations of our Way and Principles It is said to be done by two Persons of Quality One Wit might by a little labour have brought forth a more perfect Birth What is the Quality of the Author or Authors for worldly Dignity I enquire not but his or their Moral Qualities may by the Book be seen to be none of the best We have First a parcel of False and Malicious History as ever was written in so few Lines Next some Counsels to his Highness 3. He refuteth a Paper that he falsly calleth An Address from the Presbyterians to the Prince of Orange And then concludeth as he began with Lies and Railing § 2. The first passage in his Historical Account is a foul mistake to call it no worse viz. That the rise of our Animosities and why they are Warmer here than in England is England was Reformed by the Royal Authority and therefore their Church was suted to the Monarchy But Scotland was Reformed by Force and Violence and some of the Reformers coming from Geneva and Switzerland inspired many of their Converts with an Aversion to Monarchy A Man who taketh Liberty to slander at this rate of Impudence deserveth rather Chastisement than an Answer For 1. With what Brow can he say that our Reformers were averse from Monarchy or that the Antimonarchical Principle did ever get much footing in Scotland as we know it did in England for all their being Reformed by Royal Authority Did ever Scotland set up a Commonwealth as England once did It is known what they Adventured and Suffered for the Monarchy when England abjured it And what yielding there was in Scotland to the Antimonarchical way was by Force from England And it is known to all who lived in those days that the Presbyterians did cleave more firmly to their banished King and prayed for him with more Constancy and Resolution than that party did who after appeared for Episcopacy 2. That Scotland was Reformed by Force and Violence is false it was by the States of the Nation and at last confirmed by King and Parliament The chief difference as to the Original of the two Reformations lay in this
Council as Episcopal Assemblies are to the Bishop We do then maintain that there is such a difference between them and us as may justifie our not owning of the Bishops Authority nor the Authority of the Meetings that is derived from it and dependeth on it We never used such an Argument to justifie Rebellions It was not the exercising Episcopal power that caused what he so calleth but their forcing the Consciences of Men and Barbarous Persecutions whereby people were put to the utmost extremities If the Consciences of his party could plead not guilty of the Murthers and Butcheries that have happened as well as the Sober Presbyterians can who had no interest in them but to Lament them and the occasions of them it were well for them If Barbarities be committed now against them we defend them not nor are they chargeable on the Presbyterians but on some few whom their Persecution hath enraged He telleth us of more Histories of the Clergies Sufferings to come out Our Work is to Examine these that now he is pleased to offer If he prove by his Collection of passages all that in his Preface he proposeth to make out by them we shall succumb in the Debate But I am sure some of them cannot be proved other things cannot infer the Consequents that he draweth from them But I will not anticipate What remains of his Preface is a renewing of his begging Address to the Church of England What they get that way we do not envy We wish indeed the Change of Episcopacy though we will take no unwarrantable course to effect even that but not the Ruine of Episcopal Men. § 3. The Book it self is odly methodized We have two leaves called the first Collection of Papers Next a Letter under the Title of the whole Book Then the first Collection of Papers begun again And so to the second third and fourth Collections But we must follow whither he thinketh fit to lead I must here refer the Reader to what I have said in Answer to the first Book and the second Letter Sect. 6. Where it is made appear that the Presbyterians are not accountable for the disorders that are said to have been acted Tho all the Stories that are told were true But because in this Pamphlet we have Attestations added to the Narratives that are brought which is not done in the other somewhat must be observed concerning that Which is that mostly they are teste meipso the Complainant is the witness which is not fair And often one of these Ministers witnesses for another and he doth him the like kindness for requital Which derogateth much from the Credibility of such Testimonies Further all of his Witnesses are the sworn Enemies of Presbyterians and in a Combination to defame them And we have from the Pamphlets now under consideration a taste of the veracity of the Men whom we have to do with If his Witnesses make no more Conscience of speaking truth than the Author or Authors of these Pamphlets do few thinking Men will be moved with what they say I come now to consider his particular Stories He beginneth with the Minister of Cumnock with whom he joineth the Minister of Auchinleck Whom ninety Armed Men forced into the Church-yard discharged them to Preach and tore their Gowns And declared that this they did not as Statesmen nor as Churchmen but by Violence and in a Military way of Reformation Ans It is Attested under the hands of George Logan of Logan William Crawfurd of Dalegles John Camphel of Horsecleugh George Camphel of Glaisknock John Beg of Dornal John Mitchel of Whetstonburn all of the two Parishes mentioned That they who did this were not of either of these Parishes nor was it known who they were Only that they were Cameronians who had suffered severely and were now gathered together on occasion of an Alarum that then was in the Countrey Nor had any in these Parishes any Accession to that practice And it is to be observed that many of these Ministers entred by a Military Force as they were so put out particularly the Minister of Auchinleck had his Edict served with three Troops of Dragoons And that People never submitted to these Mens Ministry but by the force that was put on them by Armed Men And they suffered very hard things and yet the people of these Parishes bore it patiently In the business of Machlin he grosly belyeth them They used no violence to the Ministers Wife only gravely reproved her for Cursing and Swearing which she used He passeth page 4. to the Presbytery of Dumbartoun where first he telleth us What Mr. Walter Stirling Minister at Badernock met with by a Company of Dissenters This is a gross Lie These five Armed Men who assaulted his House having done the like to a Gentlemans House and a Countrey-mans House the same Night seeking Arms or Plunder were no Dissenters of any sort or way but Debauched Men horrid Swearers and Cursers who were of broken desperate Fortunes their Names are John Momillan Patrick Motarged George Tomoch Archibald Ferguson Archibald Shinning This one passage duely considered might discredit all that is asserted in his Book and expose the Author as a malicious Calumniator designing to fix all the Thefts Robberies and other Villanies that are committed in the Country not only on some Presbyterian or other but on the whole party It is also witnessed that Mr. Stirling's Parish gave him all the help and succour they could in this his trouble This Mr. Stirling was afterwards deprived by the State for not Reading nor Praying after which time he behoved to remove from the Church and Dwelling-house but to this day liveth peaceably in the Parish Yea Mr. Stirling himself disowned that account of his Case which is in the Pamphlet as what he had no hand in For the two following Mr. Duncan of Kilpatrick Easter and the Minister that was to preach at Boiall In the Narration of what concerneth Kilpatrick Easter there is a gross Lie None touched Mr. Duncan nor did any personal hurt to him Which is affirmed by them who know that Matter And may be confirmed by considering that that parties Zeal led them no farther than to rid themselves of these Ministers who had been such a burden to them For that Man who was to preach at Boiall the Truth of the Story is A great many came with a Burial to the Church-yard among them not above six or seven had Arms who did always bear Arms None of them made any Opposition Only they sent to the Minister of the Parish to desire him to give them the Keys of the Church seeing he himself could not Preach He promised to do it if the Heritors should demand them which several of them did and offered to suffer him to stay in the house forty days if he would give up the Keys He contrary to his promise refused to give them up but went away that day and carried away his Furniture except some Lumber
false For it was for praying for King James as the account which he himself giveth doth make manifest All that he observeth on the Proclamation ordering to whom the Bishops Rents should be paid they being now laid aside is That Alexander Hamiltoun of Kinkel who was imployed as receiver for St. Andrews was at Bothwel Bridge and by the Clemency of the then Government had his Life spared If all this were true what doth it make against the Presbyterians He is known to be a faithful Man and why might not the Government imploy him seeing the former Government had spared him But in truth it was not so much the Clemency of the former Government as no Crime could be proved against him that saved his Life His last Paper for it seemeth that he is now at a Close and can say no more is a draught of an Act for the Establishment of the Government of the Church given in to the Parliament by the Kings Commissioner which he saith that the Presbyterians would not admit of because it restrained them from medling in State Affairs Ans Many other Acts as well as this were given in being drawn by private hands to be considered by the Parliament and were rejected or amended That the Parliament rejected any of them it was because they saw them or somewhat in them to be inconvenient but that he will fix on the particular cause and lay this on the Presbyterians is saucy boldness Not only medling with the designs of the Legislators which is not fit for a private Person but with the secret thoughts of Men which is fit for no Creature § 15. The conclusion of his Book consisting of five or six pages I shall not much be concerned with he there more than before which was needless venteth his Spleen against the present Government of the State And that in very undecent terms He dealeth in most of it with the Observator whom I leave to plead his own cause Though I have above Asserted and Vindicated the Truth of most things for which he challengeth the Observator His note about the Earl of Crafurd's Letter is a groundless Cavil His Lordship doth not own that the Council took probation of Crimes of another Nature beside not Reading and Praying but on the contrary said that though they who framed the Libels against the Episcopal Ministers did ignorantly in their Libels accuse them either for their Opinion about Church Government or Immoralities in their Conversation yet no regard was had to these nor any question made about them He next taketh to task a Book Intituled A brief and true account of the sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Episcopalians since the year 1660. which he saith is written by a true-paced Presbyterian And imputeth all the Assertions and severity of Stile in that Book to the Presbyterians This is an unfair and injurious and false imputation Presbyterians disown both the Stile and many Principles vented in that Book it was written by a Cameronian while that party stood at a distance from the sober Presbyterians and from the Generality of them who bear that Name as much as from the Prelatists Though on the other hand we know that there are many undeniable truths in it as to the matter of Fact concerning these Sufferings which I wish he or any of his party would undertake to disprove But it is strange that this Gentleman should quarrel the stile of that Book seeing it is exactly conform to his own in the bitterness and ill nature that appeareth in it Only things are not there so foully mis-represented as in his Paper The Queries with which he shutteth up this his Work we are the less concerned in because most of them are built upon the principles of that Book which we do not own And others of them on some Actings of this Church in a time when both contending parties run a little too high in the heat of debate Of which I have spoken what is sufficient in my Former Vindication Only a few things not met with in that Paper I now take notice of That the presbyterians have risen twice in Arms in King William ' s time is an impudent and false Assertion For the first time that he mentioneth it was a Rabble of Cameronians not in a Body but here and there to throw out some of the Clergy who had severely oppressed them Of which I have told my Sentiment above The other A formidable number in an Hostile manner making an Address to the Council telling them That they would not lay down their Arms till the Council had discharged all Judicatories to pronounce any Sentence in Favour of Episcopal Ministers This was never heard of before and certainly this Gentleman hath either Dreamed it or Invented it Page 107. He hath amassed a heap of gross Lies viz. That they had Voted King William out of the Supremacy That they have Vâ—urped it to themselves having without his leave Convened at Edinburgh and Voted themselves into a free General Assembly That they daily draw up Instructions for regulating the Parliament That they Meet and Adjourn at their pleasure For the first of these it was not the Ministers but the Parliament to which the King gave his Royal Assent which Voted away the Supremacy And that not any Supremacy that is due to any Man on Earth but such a one as the Pope had usurped over the Church of God and which some of our Kings had assumed and under the former Government had been scrued up to that height that the King might overturn our Religion at his pleasure And it is highly to the Commendation of our Gracious King that he was pleased to give to God that which was his and to reserve only to himself what was Caesars For the second the Presbyterians usurp no Supremacy no Legislative nor Coercive Power They pretend to no more but a Ministerial Power in declaring the Laws of Christ by his Authority and in executing the Censures which he hath appointed for the breakers of these Laws Thirdly It is most false that they convened in the General Assembly without his leave they had an express Act of Parliament for it neither did the Assembly Meet or Adjourn without the Kings Commissioner at any time other Judicatories are by Law allowed to Meet and Adjourn as they think fit and therefore their so doing is not without the Kings leave We think it no small mercy to have the Magistrates Countenance to our Meetings tho' we think to deny any Intrinsick Power in the Church to meet about the Affairs of Religion were to condemn the Apostles and to allow Rulers if they should be either open or secret Enemies to the Truth a power to Ruin all at their pleasure Fourthly That they either daily or at all draw up Instructions for Regulating the Parliament is an Assertion so false and malicious as none but a Man of this Authors Temper could be capable of Nor can I imagine
be put into the hands of Popish Priests while they continued such He is also displeased with appointing greater Presbyteries to send more Ministers as being an unequal Representation of the Church Others will think that this was most equal For the General Assembly is the Representative of the Presbyteries immediately tho' more remotely they represent the whole Church And therefore where Presbyteries are unequal their Representation should be so too But by this means some part of the Nation were not at all represented Ans It could not be otherwise where there were no Presbyterian Ministers that place of the Church could not be represented by Episcopalians for they neither had by Law nor could claim in Reason a share of the Presbyterian Government Neither can this Argument derogate from the Authority of the General Assembly over the whole Church more than the vacancy of a Parish can warrant them to plead exemption from the power of the Presbytery because they have not a Minister to represent them in it 7. The next fault that he findeth is The Meeting appointed a Fast on the Lords Day and saith That it was the Custom of the Old Presbyterians to appoint all their Fasts on the Lords Day This last is notoriously false The reason why that Fast was on the Lords Day it was the time of Harvest when it could not be observed on a Week day without high Inconveniency Neither do we think Fasting inconsistent with the Nature of the Lords Day Religious Joy and Religious Sorrow do very well agree His story about the Licensing the Treatise of Ruling Elders and Deacons is a gross Calumny and hath several Lies in it 1. The Licensing of that Book was not the deed of the Meeting but of the Clerk without their appointment or knowledge And he also alledged that the Printer added the words which imported a Monopoly of it As soon as the Book came out the Meeting were highly offended with the Clerk for this presumption not only because he had done it in their Name without their appointment but because as was said publickly in the Meeting Nemine Contradicente it belonged to the State to License Books and to Monopolize the Printing of them For this the Clerk was severely rebuked and hardly escaped being deposed 2. That the Privy Council checkt this or called in the Books is false For their Lordships understood that it was not the deed of the Meeting and that the Meeting took care to get the License taken from the Copies as soon as they understood it Here then we have an Evidence how gladly the Author would pick quarrels with us and make us odious tho' at the rate of telling lying Stories which every one can contradict He now beginneth page 7. to give an Account of the Actings of the Presbyteries against the Prelatick Incumbents between the General Meeting and the General Assembly which sate in October 1690. He blameth them That they were more careful to Empty Churches than to Fill them This is not true they endeavoured both to purge out the Scandalous and such as were like to do more Hurt than Good and to plant the Churches with qualified Persons and something was done both ways Though we confess planting Work went more slowly on than was wished partly because of the paucity of qualified Men but mainly through the opposition that some Men of this Authors Temper made Viis modis to discourage people from Calling Ministers And to perplex that Affair when ever it was attempted It is false That none were sent to the West where there was most need And that they rather seated themselves in Lothian as being a better Countrey There is neither Truth nor Candour in this Assertion Even Galloway which therefore was most destitute because the Incumbents had generally either been driven away or deserted is now tolerably supplyed tho' not so well as it should be or as I hope in a little more time it may be He giveth a false and malicious Cause of the ejecting of Ministers in the end of page 8. viz. They were conscious of their own Inabilities and thought it not their Interest to tolerate such as accustomed the people to Sense and solid Discourses No other Answer is here fit but to tell the Reader That nothing but a fancy tinctured with Malice and Prejudice can make one so compare them who were cast out with them who were put in His Stories of what this Man or t'other said when a reason was asked of their putting out of Ministers and of their Preaching in Meeting Houses where Episcopal Men were in the Church These I say are not worth our notice We will not defend what every private person saith in Discourse yea not what every particular Minister saith in the Pulpit tho' some Notes of Sermons he talketh of that I never heard of before nor am at leisure to enquire about them We can give better Reasons for both these practices viz. We put out Men because they are Scandalous and unfit to Edifie the People and do rather harden them in Wickedness And we Preached in Meeting Houses because many often the most part of the Parishes would not hear the Prelatical Incumbents § 8. There follows a whole Fardel of Lies and Malicious Representations of the procedure of the Presbyteries Few Lines in pages nine and ten that do not contain some Falshood or other as That Presbyteries sent out Spies to observe Mens publick and private Discourses and Practices Let them give one instance of this as the act of any one Presbytery If any private person did make such enquiry we know not nor can we in all Cases condemn it That they received Libels of old Crimes is not so absurd as he would make us believe If the Church have not been satisfied nor the Scandal of them taken off That a Design was formed to disgrace the Clergy That there was little or nothing made out against them are a couple of falshoods The former no man can prove The latter I have before disproved and could give abundance of Instances That the Scandals of one or a few was charged on the whole party is an impudent and false Assertion He saith That the least defects of Behaviour were heightned to gross Crimes And what was no fault we made one by uncharitable Construction Whether some private persons who had more Zeal than Understanding might not do so I cannot tell But he is now speaking of the Actings of the Judicatories and that any of them did so is false That insignificant Articles were accumulated to a great height Is also said but cannot be proved That some Ministers were charged with Admitting to the Office of Elders or not Censuring Men of Immoral Conversations Is not to be blamed The Apostle giveth express Directions about the Qualifications that should be required of Elders And it is certainly culpable to over-look Scandals in any and more especially in Church Officers That whatever was offered in a Libel by any
a civil Penalty The contest about the Printer to the Assembly he cannot let pass tho' he can get no advantage there against the Presbyterians But that they must have a Printer distinct from the Kings Printer It hath always been the Custom and our Kings never disallowed it We are far from contending with the King about it nor do we plead a Divine Right for it The Debate between the two Printers before the Council we are not concerned in Only I observe his Malicious Lye That the Earl of Crawford maintained that the King should yield to the Assembly His Lordship is far from so owning the Church as to deny to the King any respect that is due § 21. After Apology for the length he should have rather excused the Dishonesty and Impertinency of this Epistle He ventureth yet upon two or three things The 1 st is the Assemblies appointing an answer to be made to these Pamphlets of the opposite Party which this Paper containeth where he is much misinformed Mr. Meldrum was never enjoyned this task Mr. Pitcarne had it laid on him but after many Months it was not done And so they laid it on another Not on him with the Assistance of others as this Author saith That Mr. Meldrum justified the Rable in a Sermon is so far from his Temper and Inclination that none will Affirm it but such an one as this Historian He saith we will never prove any material Circumstance in matter of Fact to be false I affirm and have made it appear that few if any of them are true His next particular is the most Notorious falshood that can be expressed by Tongue or Pen. viz. That the taking off the Sentence of Deposition against some Ministers especially Remonstrators was proposed but laid aside in the General meeting and now done in the end of the Assembly It was done in a meeting of the Brethren of the Synod of Lothian for them within that bounds and in the General Meeting for them and all others in Scotland And what the Assembly did was a Ratification of what had already been effectually done What he alledged Mr. Gilbert Rule to have said in the Assembly on this head is a wide mistake he only pleaded that the Act should not be so General as to comprehend all who were censured in the times of these differences because some might at that time be censured for uncontroverted Scandals tho' he did not pretend to give Instances of any who were so Censured but that the Act should only reach them who were Censured on account of the Differences Hinc inde That this revocation of these Sentences was not proposed in any of their avowed meetings till the general Meetings is not strange for indeed they had no avowed meetings before Tho' we think their meetings might be avowed before God but not so before his party who were their cruel Persecutors It was done as is above expressed and confirmed by the General Meeting And Ex abundanti Ratified by the Assembly Whence it is evident that no derogation could be inferred thence either from the Ministry of any who sat in the Assembly or on the Assembly it self as he malevolently suggesteth His last particular is about the two Commissioners whom the Assembly sent to the King Where he hath some Malign Reflections both on them who were not sent and on them who were sent That any were Jealous of Mr. Carstairs is a base Calumny His Integrity and Skill in the conduct of such Affairs is known and valued by all his Brethren who know him It is as foul a Calumny that they who were sent were gratified by it or had designs of their own nothing but Malice could suggest such a thought For what could they expect Or what could they obtain by it Had they Ambition one of them being past 60. to ride post to London in the beginning of December they could expect no higher Post in the Church than they now are in He will Characterize them also One of them he had before exposed as far as his Malice and VVit could invent The other he can find nothing against and therefore his spite prompteth him to reproach his reverend and worthy Father whose praise is in the Gospel whose name is precious in the Church and is above the snarling of such a Curr Nor one word of what he saith in that matter is true And the contrary is declared by some of the Courtiers that attended the King when he went to visit Mr. Blair when he was sick and on his Bed VVhen his Majesty came into the Room they who were present told that though they had been long about Court they never heard a more Handsom Complement then Mr. Blair gave unto the King nor more becoming a Divine A Chair was set at the Bed side for the King in which his Majesty sat down after he had talked a little with Mr. Blair his Majesty drew the Chair nearer while he sat on it But that such words were spoken by Mr. Blair as is alledged is most false I should not have stayed so much on this but that the Reader may take notice what a Spirit of Lying hath possessed this Phamphleteer and what ill will he bears to the Living and to the Dead who have born the name of Presbyterians He is now at last come to the Dissolution of this Assembly VVhere he would have it thought that the Assembly did design to call another without the Kings Commissioner who was sitting among them which was never thought nor designed As his Book is full of Lies and Slanders so his Epilogue is an abridgment of them all doth amass them in one while he saith That no material Falshood can be charged upon him The Reader will easily judge of this assertion by what hath been said of his Ingenuity also and of his hating to tell a Lie I leave what hath been said on both sides to the Candid Judgment of the Impartial Reader and to his Judgment who is a God of truth and hateth the Lying Lips and do joyn with him in his concluding Prayer as I could do with little that he hath hitherto said That the Lord would pour out his Spirit on us and on the other party too That our Land may have peace that the Divisions of our Church may be healed and our Confusions may be wholly removed and Order and Government may continue among us POSTSCRIPT AFter these Sheets were Printed some Informations were sent me which could not be inserted in their proper places and therefore are here subjoyned Concerning Mr. Ferguson of Kilpatrick who is mentioned Case of Afflicted Clergy c. Sect. 12. is no further true than that five Men and fix Women came to his House being provoked by his continuing to Preach and Pray for King James after he had been discharged so to do by the people and when he refused to come out to them they beat him on the Head and on the Legs and tore his